Yo Yo Ma Partners with Tanglewood for PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: WHAT IS MUSIC FOR? Humanities Series

This August, the Tanglewood Music Festival will deepen its engagement with the humanities through two complementary initiatives: Past, Present, and Future: What Is Music For?, a new series curated by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and the return of the Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI) Spotlight Series, featuring conversations with leading cultural figures.

Yo-Yo Ma Curates "What Is Music For?" Series

Past, Present, and Future: What Is Music For? will run from August 2–12 and pairs talks with performances to explore the intersection of music, history, and human identity. The series, created in partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Yo-Yo Ma, will spotlight themes of artistic legacy, education, and technological transformation.

The opening event, held August 2 at 5 p.m. in Ozawa Hall, features Ma in conversation with historian Heather Cox Richardson, examining the global and artistic significance of the year 1803—the era of Beethoven’s Eroica symphony. On August 3, Ma performs a transcription of the symphony with violinist Leonidas Kavakos, violist Antoine Tamestit, and pianist Emanuel Ax (2:30 p.m., Shed).

The series continues August 9–10 with a focus on pedagogy and creative lineage, including Ma’s performance of Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 and a Spotlight talk with art critic Sebastian Smee, joined by musicians Sam Amidon and Shahzad Ismaily. The events reflect Ma’s own artistic heritage and ties to educators like Luise Vosgerchian and Nadia Boulanger.

A related event on August 10 at 10:30 a.m. brings On Being host Krista Tippett to Studio E for a discussion on AI and the humanities with Princeton historian D. Graham Burnett, whose recent writing examines the future of humanistic inquiry in an AI-driven world.

The series concludes August 12 with a collaborative program at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, where Tanglewood fellows and Sebastian Smee will present a performance and discussion of late 19th-century French art and music, featuring Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 1.

TLI Spotlight Series Highlights Creativity, Legacy, and Service

Now a cornerstone of Tanglewood’s summer programming, the TLI Spotlight Series will host three major conversations:

• August 2: Ma and Heather Cox Richardson explore the revolutionary year 1803.

• August 9: Sebastian Smee, Sam Amidon, and Shahzad Ismaily examine the creative bond between student and teacher.

• August 23: Violinist Vijay Gupta and journalist Steve Lopez (author of The Soloist) will join Lesley Rosenthal of The Juilliard School to discuss music as a vehicle for public service and social healing.

According to BSO President and CEO Chad Smith, the series aims to “demonstrate music’s power to address timeless human questions,” building on past collaborations with thinkers like Henry Louis Gates Jr., Isabel Wilkerson, and Tracy K. Smith.

Tickets for newly announced events go on sale Friday, May 30 at 10 a.m. via tanglewood.org or by phone at 888-266-1200. Tickets for Yo-Yo Ma’s performances are already available. The Tanglewood and Symphony Hall Box Offices also offer in-person purchases; Tanglewood’s box office opens June 14.